MAC TOURNEY Kent State flashes past CMU in opener

Armon Gates led a three-point barrage that ousted the Chippewas.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KENT -- Armon Gates scored 15 points and made four of Kent State's 11 3-pointers, helping the Golden Flashes beat Central Michigan 91-60 Monday night in the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
Jason Edwin added 12 points and DeAndre Haynes scored 11 for fifth-seeded Kent State, which advanced to the quarterfinals on Thursday in Cleveland.
Sefton Barrett and Tony Bowne led the 12th-seeded Chippewas (10-18) with 15 points apiece.
Kent State shot 55.7 percent from the field and connected on 11-of-21 from 3-point range, including 4-of-8 by Gates.
Central Michigan went only 5-for-18 beyond the arc and shot just 41.5 percent.
Bowling Green 75, Ball St. 73
BOWLING GREEN -- John Reimold scored 38 points and made the game's key defensive play.
Reimold cut off Julien Mills' drive to the basket in the closing seconds, forcing the Ball State forward to adjust his shot. The layup attempt banged off the backboard to Bowling Green's Austin Montgomery and time expired.
The eighth-seeded Falcons (18-10) advanced to play top-seeded Miami Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Mills led the ninth-seeded Cardinals (15-13) with 25 points. Terrance Chapman and Anthony Kent added 12 points apiece.
Reimold's point total was the second-highest in MAC tournament history, seven short of Ron Harper's record for Miami against Ball State in 1985.
Akron 78, E. Michigan 66
AKRON -- Romeo Travis scored a career-high 23 points and had 10 rebounds to lead Akron.
Mario Collins added 11 points and Bubba Walther had 10 for the sixth-seeded Zips (19-9), who will play third-seeded Western Michigan Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Markus Austin led the 11th-seeded Eagles (12-18) with 17 points. Darryl Garrett added 14 and James Jackson scored 11.
Ohio 72, Marshall 66
ATHENS -- Terren Harbut led four players in double figures with 19 points and Ohio held off Marshall.
The fourth-seeded Bobcats (18-10) shot 50 percent from the field (21-for-42) but allowed the 13th-seeded Thundering Herd (6-22) to stay close because of poor free throwing shooting.
Ohio finished 24-for-41 at the line, missing 11 of 18 attempts over the final 1:45. Marshall got as close as four points at 68-64 on A.W. Hamilton's 3-pointer with 47.2 seconds remaining.
Hamilton led the Herd with 18 points and Enoch Bunch added 12.
Sonny Troutman had 17 points, Mychal Green added 16 and Leon Williams scored 13 for the Bobcats.
Buffalo 73, Northern Illinois 66
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Daniel Gilbert scored 15 points and broke a 58-58 tie, leading Buffalo over Northern Illinois.
Turner Battle scored 13 points and Roderick Middleton added 10 for Buffalo (20-8), which recorded its first 20-win season.
Gilbert pulled down eight rebounds and scored two second-chance baskets in a 3:30 span to give the Bulls a 68-61 lead.
Cory Sims scored 16 points for Northern Illinois (11-17). Mike McKinney had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Todd Peterson had a game-high 10 rebounds.
McKinney tied the game at 58-58 with a conventional three-point play with 5:45 remaining. It was the closest the Huskies came since they had a 12-11 lead midway through the first half.
Peterson made a three-point shot with 36 seconds left to make it 69-66, but the Huskies lost the ball twice in the final 25 seconds.